Apparatus for stabilizing the position of submerged floating mines.



E. SCHNEIDER. APIARATUS FOR STABILIZING THE POSITION 0F SUBMERGED FLOATING MINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11.1916.

Patented J une 12, 1917.

mr annals Pmlsmrnomumo.. uusummm n. c.

E. SCHNEIDER. APPARATUS Foa STABILIZING T-HE POSITION 0F SUBMERGED FLO/ITIN@ MINES.

i APPLICATION FILED FEB. \I l, 6. Patented June 12,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER, OF LE CREUZOT, FRANCE.

' APPARATUS FOR STABILIZING THE POSITION OF SUBMERGED FLOATING MINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 12, 1917.

Appiication mea February 11, 1916. seriai 110.77310.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EGNE SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Le Creuzot, France, have invented a new and useful Improvement in or Relating to Apparatus for Stabilizing the Position of Submerged Floating Mines, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention has for its object to provide improved apparatus for stabilizing the position of submerged iioating mines.

It is well known that the flow of the water displaced by the hull of a ship is apt to have a deiecting-effect upon submerged floating mines that may be situated in the path of the said hull, to the extent of shifting the mines to such a distance as to prevent them from coming into contact with the said ship.

The stabilizing apparatus hitherto proposed for the purpose of opposing such deflections of the mines act solely by their mass or their shape.

manner a submerged floating mine of any known type fitted with a stabilizing apparatus of the usual kind, and shows the position which it tends to assume;

Fig. 2 illustrates in diagram, in two positions of operation, a submerged floating vmine itted with` an apparatus according to this invention; A l

Figs. 3 to 5 are views illustrating a practical construction of the invention; Fig. 3

v. being a sectional elevation of the whole arrangement, showing the parts in the positions which they occupy before the mine is sunk in place; Fig. 4 an-elevation of the mine sunk in place, and Fig. 5 a horizontal section of the stabilizing apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a view of a modified form of the stabilizer;

n Figs. 7 and 8 are horizontal sections showlng the parts of the modified stabilizer in two different positions.

Referring to Fig. l, the full lines show a mine A connected'by a connection B to a float C and also connected by a connection D to a stabilizer E. Assuming that the whole arrangement A-B-C-D-E is vacted upon by the flow of the water displaced by the hull of a ship, it will be shifted i from the position shown in full lines into the position indicated by dash and dot lines AlBl-Cl-Dl-El, and it will then havea tendency, after the action of the flow of water has ceased, to take up a position of equilibrium such as that indicated by dotted lines A2-B2-C2-D2-E2.

It will be perceived that this return into the position of equilibrium is due almost entirely to the action of the weight of the stabilizer E. Now the latter by its shape offers as much resistance to descent as to ascent and therefore the return will be accomplished slowly. Moreover, if the mine A has a negative buoyancy, the stabilizer E will exert upon it only avery slight returning force or itmay be none at all, depending on the relation between the weight and the shapes of the mine with its float and the stabilizer, so that in the end the whole arrangement of the mine will return only with exceeding slowness, or perhaps not at all, into a position where it can become again dangerous to the ship.

If on the contrarythe mine A has a positive buoyancy it will tend to rise to the surface and will therefore oppose a'resistance to the returning force of the weight of the stabilizer E. In any case lthe whole arrangement when shifted by the iow of water will be returned incompletely and too slowly into an efficient position.

The present invention has now for its object to provide improved stabilizing apparatus which willdo away with -all the above stated drawbacks. It consists essentially in rendering the whole arrangement lizfer.

from this position. In. carrying this invention into effect the v deformabi-lity of the whole arrangement is due to the use of a stabilizer provided with bellows or valves.V

or clacks which become inoperative during connection between the stabilizer and the mine and also in the connection between the mine and. the ioat.

In the diagrammatic Fig. 2', A, E are respectively the mine, the float andthe stabi' The latter is provided with cl'acks F and G adapted' to foldV back against the outer and inner sides ofthe stabilizer FJ,"

andA also toy take up a horizontal position. It will be at once perceived thatV in the de; scending' movementl the clacks do not offer any' resistance, whereas on the contrary in the ascending movement they'oier resistance with their whole surface.

'Ihe connections D and B which connectA the mine to the stabili-zer E and to the float C, comprise elastic devices d Z) respec tively' which consist of springs (rubber band's vor the like, metal' springs, or it may' be compressble bodies' containing air) y When such an arrangement occupying4 the position shown in4 full` lines tends to be shiftedbythe action of the How ofthe water vdisplaced by the h-ul'l of a ship, it will be On the other hand the stabilizer' wi-llhave lesstendency to be pulled away by the mine owing to the fact that the greater part of the pulling away strain exerted by the latter is absorbed by the elastic connection d. Similarly, the entire pulling strain between C and A is mainly absorbed by the elastic connection Zi.. In fact it can be assumed that the whole arrangement will have a tendency to take up the position shown in, dotted lines, the stabilizer E remaining practically in its initial position.

i When the action of the How of water ceases to make itself felt, the elastic'connections b1 Z1 will contract, and the whole arrangement wil'l tend to return rapidly intov its initial position. Y

In practiceA theV stabilizer and the deformable connections mayl have various. constructional forms.

In the construction shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the. stabilizer comprises a framework made of sheet metal or formed of 11p-rights to which canvas sides may be attached. This" framework (metal sheets c and angles el) is left'on the mine A up to the moment of:

ypivotedjin such a manner as to be=L kept in inine'. The extent ci the downward move lizer.

l cable D. They may however be arrangedatA sinking, while the bottom of the framework is closed byl the-chicks Gl which b'earupon a crossba-r g and are adapted to rise and bear against the inside facesof two of the sides of y the framework. F are clacks which are their raised positions, bearing againstV the outer'- sides of the framework, byy pinsrf that are suspended by cords f1 from thev e ment of these clac'ks is limited by means. of

cords f2 attached at., one, end* tothe said clacks and' at their other ends to the stabi- The elastic connectionsy b. and'l d arey assumed to consist. ofstrapsy or bands of rub-` ber'. These connections maybe arranged as shown in thev drawings'between the float-and Y the' cable B, and between the mine A and the a anyotl'reripoints in thel-ength ofl the line that'connectsthe devices and A and A and E together; They mayv also'be divided up into a plurality of elastic connections separated fromv one another in vthe length of the line by non-elastic sections. y

Insi-nking thel mine-theiiioatfC which' up til'l then has'been hooked tothe mineI A (as shownl in Figli) is'unhookedthen the whole arrangement is: thrown into thex sea.'95 Ther stabilizer E and the mine A sink by rea,-v sonvof their negativel buoyancy, and the' Vseveral elementsl automatically take upy their respective positions shown in Fig.

In the modification illustratedhinfFigsf', 100 4 7 and '8, the stabilizer is made upV of metal sheets e arranged in the form of a cross comingtoapoi'nt'at itslower-part. To the edges of'this'lower part there are attached flexible diaphraginsF which inI the descent of' the 105 stabilizer fold lback against the framework of the stabilizer asl shown in Figk 8.Y 'The risingof the stabilizer is on the contrary opposed by the resistance offered by the pockets `formed the metal sheets and the'inner 110 sidf'es of the diaphragms, which diaphragms then extend to the positions shown in Fig. 7K.; The clacks or `the folding flexible diaphragnrs which form pockets' and' hinder the ascent of theA whole 'arrangement may, ill-'1115 stead of being provided yonly in a separate stabilizer, be provided also onthe` mine and thus enable the latter to operate as a Stabi# lizerA with respect toI the float.. f

Havingnow described myf invention what I cla'i'm as new and'desireto secure by; Letters Patent is 1.' In ,a submarine mine, in combination with the` mine proper and its stabilizencon-` nections therebetween comprising anfelfasticf medium.

2'. In a submarine mine,4 in combi-nation withthemine proper and itsy float, conne@ tions therebetween comprising' an elastic medium. 13.0

3. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, its stabilizer and its oat, connections between said mine and said stabilizer and float each comprising an elastic medium.

l. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer connected thereto comprising a frame and means connected therewith adapted to take up a position contiguous to said frame during descent of the stabilizer and adapted to take up a position in expanded relation to said frame during ascent of the stabilizer.

5. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer connected thereto comprising a frame and means movably connected therewith and adapted to move to a position adjacent said frame during descent of the stabilizer and adapted to move to a position projecting from said frame during ascent of the stabilizer.

6. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer connected thereto comprising a frame and -means adapted to fold inwardly during descent of the stabilizer and to unfold outwardly during ascent of the stabilizer.

7. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer connected thereto comprising a frame and clacks adapted to move to a position adjacent the frame during descent of the stabilizer and adapted to move to a position projecting from the frame during ascent of the stabilizer.

8. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer connected thereto comprising a polygonal frame and clacks hinged thereto to unfold downwardly.

9. In a submarine amine, in combination tion to said frame.

12. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer connected thereto comprising a polygonal frame and clacks hinged thereto to unfold downwardly, and means to limit the downward movement of said clack's.

13. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer of boxlike structure connected to said mine and 1 adapted to receive the lower end thereof.

14. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer of boX- like structure connected to said mine and adapted to receive the lower end thereof, said stabilizer comprising means adapted to fold upward during descent thereof and to unfold downward during ascent thereof.

15. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer of boX- like structure connected to said mine and adapted to receive the lower end thereof, said stabilizer comprising means adapted to fold upward during descent thereof and to unfold downward during ascent thereof, and means for retaining said last-named means in folded relation to the stabilizer, said retaining means being rendered inoperative by separation of said mine and stabilizer.

16. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer of boX- like structure connected to said mine and adapted to receive the lower end thereof, said stabilizer comprising means adapted to move to a position adjacent thereto during descent of the stabilizer and adapted to move to a position projecting therefrom during ascent of the stabilizer.

17. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer connected thereto comprising a frame and means adapted to fold upwardly during descent of the stabilizer and to unfold downwardly during ascent of the stabilizer.

18. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer, and connections comprising an elastic medium between said mine and stabilizer, said stabilizer comprising a frame and means connected therewith adapted to move to a position adjacent said frame during descent of the stabilizer and adapted to move to a position projecting from said frame during ascent of the stabilizer.

19. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer, and connections comprising an elastic medium between said mine and stabilizer, said stabilizer comprising a frame and means connected therewith adapted to fold upwardly during descent of the stabilizer and adapted to unfold downwardly during ascent of the stabilizer.

20. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer, and connections comprising an elastic medium between said mine and stabilizer, said stabilizer comprising a frame and means connected therewith adapted to fold inwardly during descent of the stabilizer and adapted to unfold outwardly during ascent of the stabilizer.

21. In a submarine mine, in combination with the mine proper, a stabilizer comprising means which move to a position offering substantially no resistance to the passage of ico y the stabilizer downwzutdlf)T .through the speeiication' in the presence of two subwatei' but which-automatically move to a sclihlng witnesses.

position oifeiino large resistance to lany Y H y s l force tendingtobraise the stabilizer through 'EUGLNE SCHNEIDER'- '75 the water, whereby the mine is maintained Witnesses:

in its predetermined position. CEAS. P. PRESSLY,

In testimony wheneof I have signed this EMILE BERTRAND.

-Copies ofrthis patent; may be obtained for fw@ cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

